Mobility management for relaying
AssigneeTelefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
InventorsPontus Wallentin, Mats Folke, Patrik Rugeland
Life of this patent
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Abstract
When a node in a cellular communications network is serving a first User Equipment, it obtains information about a second UE that may be used as a relay by the first UE. It obtains information in the event that there is data to be sent to the first UE, and sends a request to a node serving the second UE.
Claims13
A method of operation of a first mobility management entity in a cellular communications network, the method comprising:
- when said first mobility management entity is serving a first User Equipment, UE, obtaining information about a second UE that is being used as a relay by the first UE or that may be used as the relay by the first UE;
- obtaining further information in the event that there is data to be sent to the first UE;
- and
- responsive to there being data to be sent to the first UE:
- sending a request to a second mobility management entity serving the second UE to forward a paging message to the first UE, in response to determining that the first UE is in an idle mode, and
- sending downlink signalling to the first UE via the second UE.
A method of operation of a second mobile management entity in a cellular communications network, the method comprising:
- when said second mobile management entity is serving a second User Equipment, UE, that is being used as a relay by a first UE or that may be used as the relay by the first UE, receiving a first request from a first mobile management entity serving the first UE to one of forward a paging message to the first UE or find the second UE;
- determining that the second UE is in a connected mode;
- and
- if the received first request is a request to forward the paging message to the first UE, sending to the second UE a second request to forward the paging message to the first UE, in response to determining that the second UE is in the connected mode.
A method of operation of a second mobile management entity in a cellular communications network, the method comprising:
- when said second mobile management entity is serving a second User Equipment, UE, that is being used as a relay by a first UE or that may be used as the relay by the first UE, receiving a request from a first mobile management entity serving the first UE to one of forward a paging message to the first UE;
- determining that the second UE is in an idle mode;
- and
- if the received request is a request to forward the paging message to the first UE, sending a message to a radio access node serving the second UE, requesting said radio access node to page the second UE, in response to determining that the first UE and the second UE is in an idle mode, wherein the message to the radio access node serving the second UE is a paging message comprising identities of the second UE and of the first UE in a linked list.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.